Product Hunt Alternatives for Open Source Projects and Where to Share Them
An open source launch is usually after users and contributors, not customers, so the useful free alternatives to Product Hunt are OpenAlternative for people replacing paid software, a topic awesome list, Show HN, Lobsters, F-Droid for Android apps, and contributor finders such as Up For Grabs and CodeTriage. Each has rules about self-promotion or licensing, and none promises a star count.
What does an open source launch want to get?
A commercial product wants buyers. An open source project wants three different things, and they point to different places: users who will run it and file honest bug reports, contributors who will send a patch, and packagers who will carry it into a store or a distribution. Decide which one you are short of before you pick where to post, because a spot that sends users does nothing for a project that needs a second maintainer.
The platform details below come from their own pages, read on 13 November 2026.
Eight free places to share an open source project
01 OpenAlternative
A directory of open source alternatives to commercial software, with Self-hosted and License browsing and a weekly newsletter.
- Route in
- A Submit link, with sign-in; ads are sold separately and its page notes affiliate links
- Who it finds you
- People trying to replace a paid tool
It works best when you can name the commercial product you replace and say what is missing. “Self-hostable replacement for a hosted form builder” is findable; “a modern toolkit” is not.
02 A topic awesome list
Curated GitHub lists on specific topics, indexed by one master list.
- How to add
- Usually a pull request that follows that list’s own contributing file
- Note
- The master list’s own title said pull requests were temporarily disabled when we read it
Aim at a topic list, not the master one. Read the contributing file, match the format and alphabetical order, and write one neutral line. Maintainers reject self-praise.
03 Show HN
Hacker News’s section for work others can run.
- Fit
- Strong; readers like source they can read
- Rule
- Don’t ask friends to upvote or comment
Link the repository, not a landing page. Say what the license is and what you want help with. A project with a runnable quick start has an easier time.
04 Lobsters
A computing link-sharing community that runs by invitation.
- Self-promotion limit
- Less than a quarter of your stories and comments in the last year
- New users
- Not allowed to submit self-promotion in their first 70 days
Given the quarter rule, the safest submission is a write-up of how the project works, posted by someone who also takes part in the site for reasons other than their own links.
05 Up For Grabs
A list of projects with curated tasks specifically for new contributors.
- Purpose
- Finding contributors, not users
- Read first
- Its contributor guide, linked from the page
Needs a label such as good first issue on real tasks that someone can finish. Empty promises hurt more than no listing.
06 CodeTriage
A service where developers choose repositories and receive an open issue by email every day.
- How it works
- People sign up with GitHub and pick the repos they want issues from
It rewards a tidy issue tracker: labelled, reproducible, scoped. If your issues are vague, fix those first.
07 F-Droid
A free and open source Android app repository, for apps with a public source.
- Requirement
- A public source repository and a FOSS license file
- Route
- A merge request with your app’s metadata, which the guide calls the best way in
Only relevant for Android apps. Its guide says to check the Inclusion Policy first; a closed dependency or a tracker library can stop an app.
08 Post your build ideas
Our own free board; we operate it.
- Account
- None; one emailed link
- Limit
- Small audience
A public page that links to your repo and demo, with threaded comments. Pair it with the open source launch checklist to prepare the README first.
Which place matches which shortage?
| You need | Go to | Skip if |
|---|---|---|
| Users replacing paid tools | OpenAlternative | No commercial product maps to yours |
| Contributors | Up For Grabs, CodeTriage | Your issues are unlabelled |
| Technical feedback | Show HN, Lobsters | No runnable quick start |
| Android installs | F-Droid | You depend on closed libraries |
| A durable reference link | A topic awesome list | The list rejects self-submissions |
What should the repository have before the first post?
- A license file. Several places above filter on it.
- A quick start that works from a clean machine.
- Three to five labelled starter issues.
- A CONTRIBUTING file that says how a patch gets reviewed.
- A short “what this is not” section, which saves reader time.
The open source project launch playbook sequences these, and open source showcases lists more places. Browse developer tool ideas for gaps worth filling.
Is Product Hunt wrong for open source?
Not wrong, only broad. It can help a project with a hosted option or a polished app front end, where there is something to sign up for. Its site refused our automated check, so we say little more. For a library, the rooms above find readers who will open the source; see launch options beyond Product Hunt.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I share an open source project for free?
OpenAlternative, a topic awesome list, Show HN, Lobsters, F-Droid for Android apps, plus contributor finders such as Up For Grabs and CodeTriage. Choose by what you lack: users, contributors or packagers.
Does Lobsters allow me to post my own project?
Within limits. Its page says self-promotion should be under a quarter of what you post and that users in their first 70 days cannot submit it. It also runs on invitations, so you need someone you know there.
What does F-Droid require?
Its quick start says the app should have a public source code repository and a FOSS license file, and it recommends a merge request with your metadata. Check its Inclusion Policy before you spend time on packaging.
How do I find contributors for my project?
List labelled, finishable issues, then register the project on contributor finders such as Up For Grabs. Reply to first pull requests within days. A guide in the repository showing how to run tests matters more than any listing.
Post your build ideas publishes this page and runs a free launch board that competes with some of the sites it names. Facts about other sites came from their own pages on the date shown above; terms, queues and prices change, so confirm on their sites before you decide. About the publisher.